Del. Lee Ware

Carrying a firearm or explosive material withinCapitol Square and the surrounding area, into building owned or leased by the Commonwealth, etc.; penalty. Repeals the prohibition oncarrying a firearm or explosive material within (i) the Capitol ofVirginia; (ii) Capitol Square and the surrounding area; (iii) anybuilding owned or leased by the Commonwealth or any agency thereof;or (iv) any office where employees of the Commonwealth or any agencythereof are regularly present for the purpose of performing theirofficial duties. Current law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for anyperson to carry a firearm or explosive material within these areas, subject to certain exceptions, including the following individualswhile acting in the conduct of such person's official duties: anylaw-enforcement officer, any authorized security personnel, any activemilitary personnel, any fire marshal when such fire marshal has beengranted police powers, or any member of a cadet corps while suchmember is participating in an official ceremonial event for the Commonwealth.

Marijuana cultivation facility licenses; prohibitionon sale of plants and seeds. Provides that, if an act of assemblyis passed by the 2022 Session of the General Assembly that createsa license that authorizes the licensee to cultivate retail marijuanaand perform related activities, such licensees shall not be permittedto sell mature or immature marijuana plants or marijuana seeds toconsumers.

Control of firearms by localities. Removes the authority for a locality by ordinance to prohibit the possession or carrying of firearms, ammunition, or components or any combination thereof in (i) any building, or part thereof, owned or used by such locality for governmental purposes; (ii) any public park owned or operated by the locality; (iii) any recreation or community center facility; or (iv) any public street, road, alley, or sidewalk or public right-of-way or any other place of whatever nature that is open to the public and is being used by or is adjacent to a permitted event or an event that would otherwise require a permit. The bill provides that any firearm received by the locality pursuant to a buy-back program shall be offered for sale by public auction or sealed bids to a person licensed as a dealer. Current law provides that any such firearm shall be destroyed by the locality unless the person surrendering the firearm requests in writing that the firearm be offered for sale. The bill also limits the authority of localities and state governmental entities to bring lawsuits against certain firearms manufacturers and others.

Local taxing authority. Restricts localitiesfrom imposing a transient occupancy tax at a rate that exceeds fivepercent and provides that any tax revenues from a rate of greater than two percent but less than five percent shall be spent solelyfor tourism-related and travel-related purposes. The bill also lowersthe amount of food and beverage tax that counties can impose fromsix percent to a total of four percent. Under the bill, a county is able to impose a food and beverage tax at up to two percent without restriction, but that would require approval via a referendum inorder to impose the tax at four percent.

Solar facilities; permit by rule. Lowersfrom 150 to 20 megawatts the maximum generation capacity of an electricalgeneration facility that generates electricity only from sunlightto qualify for issuance of a permit by rule.

Purchase of handguns; limitation on handgunpurchases. Removes the prohibition on any person who is not a licensed firearms dealer from purchasing more than one handgun ina 30-day period. Current law makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor for aviolation of this provision, subject to certain exemptions.

Retail marijuana stores; requirement for localreferendum. Provides that if an act of assembly is passed bythe 2022 Session of the General Assembly that authorizes the operationof retail marijuana stores in the Commonwealth, such retail marijuanastores may be located only in localities that have approved the operationof retail marijuana stores through a referendum held in accordancewith the provisions of the bill.

Campaign finance; prohibited contributionsto candidates; Phase I Utility and Phase II Utility. Prohibitscandidates, campaign committees, and political committees from solicitingor accepting contributions from any public utility, as defined inthe bill, and prohibits any public utility or any political committeeestablished by such public utility from making any such contribution.

Elections administration; requests made pursuantto the Freedom of Information Act; deferment of response when requestreceived during certain period of time. Allows local electoralboards and general registrars to defer providing a response to arequest received under the Freedom of Information Act on or afterthe first day of in-person absentee voting for any election and before the tenth day following the local electoral board's certificationof such election. The bill requires that notice of the defermentbe provided to the requestor.

Public utilities; rate review by the State Corporation Commission. Provides that in any annual rate review of a publicutility by the State Corporation Commission, the Commission may findthat the rates of a public utility, including an investor-owned incumbentelectric utility, are not just and reasonable and may take correctiveaction. Under the bill, the Commission may conduct an investigationinto the rates of any public utility on its own initiative or uponapplication by an affected party. Additionally, when capped ratesof service for investor-owned incumbent electric utilities expireor terminate, the bill permits the Commission to find that the ratesare not just and reasonable and take corrective action.